Foulness SSSI explained

Foulness SSSI is a 10,702 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest covering the shoreline between Southend-on-Sea and the Crouch estuary in Essex.

Site of Special Scientific Interest

It is a key site in A Nature Conservation Review,^{[1] [2]} and is part of the Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation.^[3] It covers two Ramsar wetland sites of international importance, 'Crouch and Roach Estuaries' and 'Foulness'.^[4] An area of 6.4 hectares is Shoeburyness Old Ranges, a Local Nature Reserve^{[5] [6]} managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.^[7]

Most of the site is owned and managed by the Ministry of Defence. Natural England describes it as "extensive intertidal sand-silt flats, saltmarsh, beaches, grazing marshes, rough grass and scrubland". The flats are of international importance for nine species of wildfowl and waders, such as dark-bellied brent geese. Rare plants include soft hornwort and spiral tasselwood, and the site is also important for invertebrates, with 71 nationally rare species.^[1]

References

51.581°N 0.937°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Foulness citation. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. 24 February 2016.
2. Web site: Map of Foulness. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. 24 February 2016.
3. Web site: Essex Estuaries. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 24 February 2016.
4. Web site: Designated and Proposed Ramsar sites in the UK and Overseas Territories & Crown Dependencies. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 24 February 2016.
5. Web site: Shoeburyness Old Ranges. Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 24 February 2016.
6. Web site: Map of Shoeburyness Old Ranges. Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 24 February 2016.
7. Web site: Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges Nature Reserve . Essex Wildlife Trust. 24 February 2016.